Lady Gaga has opened up about some of her experiences while filming the Oscar-winning film, A Star Is Born, including using lithium and experiencing a psychotic break.

In her Rolling Stone cover story published this week, the singer shared that during filming the project, she used the drug to treat and prevent mania episodes. After filming wrapped, she began her Joanne world tour, where she experienced what she described as a psychotic break.

“There was one day that my sister said to me, ‘I don’t see my sister anymore,'” Gaga told Rolling Stone. “And I canceled the tour. There was one day I went to the hospital for psychiatric care. I needed to take a break. I couldn’t do anything … I completely crashed. It was really scary. There was a time where I didn’t think I could get better.…  I feel really lucky to be alive. I know that might sound dramatic, but we know how this can go.”

In addition to starring alongside Bradley Cooper, which earned Gaga two Academy Award nominations and a win for Best Original Song with “Shallow”, she had also headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show, released the album Joanne, and did the press tour for A Star Is Born.

Since then, Gaga has been engaged with fiancé Michael Polansky and says she is now a “healthy, whole person.” “Being in love with someone that cares about the real me made a very big difference,” she said of Polansky, whom she began dating in 2020.

Later, Gaga would star alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Joker: Folie à Deux, Joker‘s sequel. The film bombed in its box office debut with a domestic opening of just $37.8 million. The film was also the first Hollywood comic book movie in history to earn a D CinemaScore from audiences.

“I wasn’t, like, unfazed,” Gaga said about her reaction to the film’s poor reception. “It’s funny, I’m almost nervous to share my reaction. But the truth is, when it first started happening, I started laughing. Because it was just getting so unhinged. When it takes a while for something to kind of dissipate, that can be a little bit more painful. Only because I put a lot of myself into it.” Gaga added, “There was a ton of negativity around Joker. And I think I was feeling artistically rebellious at the time.”